TRIANGLE
Youth gang violence has been increasing and this has become a major problem for the general population. In the reading, Longitudinal Perspectives on Adolescent Street Gangs, prior to joining a gang, gang members do not have significant higher rates of gun ownership than non members, but they are more likely to engage in gun delinquency. Gang involvement is dangerous, because the main issues that surround them are delinquency, drug use and problematic transitions. Delinquency is associated with gang members in one way or another. Their delinquent trajectory begins when they join the others. The study concluded that adolescents involved in delinquent behavior are more likely to drop out of school. There is a tendency for the level of drug involvement to increase with the onset of gang membership. For example, drug sales and drug use increase during the first year of involvement. Drug use also remains high after periods of active membership. Problematic transitions in adulthood occur when these teenagers decide to drop out of school. Many times this is the best thing to do because they see their future with the other gang members. During that time they do not realize how dangerous this could become for them or how this could affect their future in a negative way. Early pregnancy is also a problem that many teens face when they leave their home, but this is only a beginning of a changing world to these teenagers. Many believe that being a member of a gang during adolescence will be associated with disrupted transitions from adolescence to adulthood and which will later impact life chances. But the truth is that being part of a gang is dangerous and death rates in gang are 7% per person per year.
SQUARE
I agree that sometimes teens are prone to doing some of the crimes because they see money in between. In the video, Why Do Crack Dealers Still Live With Their Moms, Steven points out that teenagers that see a roll of money are tempted to go ahead and spend it. In the mean while, they will owe the leader the money and be forced to be part of the business. Many of the teenagers that enter the gang, will find it difficult to leave because they are becoming used to an illicit environment along with the violence associated with it.
CIRCLE
I would of never have compared an illicit business with any corporate business. But in the video, Why Do Crack Dealers Still Live With their Moms, Steven compared the drug business with McDonalds because they have a hierarchy that they go thru as in whatever business that is out there. I was unaware that in the drug business had a hierarchy that is extremely important. Most of the time the gang members that are at the top, are those who have more time in the business. How can teenagers be helped to get out of the business?
This issue of comparison between an illicit business and a corporation was also interesting to me as well. A really interesting example of this (though a fictitious one, but still interesting and based on real-life practices nonetheless) can be found in season 1 of the TV show The Wire which was on a few years ago. Even though these are illicit businesses, the organizations still have clear business plans, expenses, and structure to govern their day to day operations. What I find fascinating about this process is the idea about similarities in economic structure - how, as you pointed out in your post,it still comes back to poverty.
ReplyDeleteExcellent posts, I'm looking forward to reading more!